Billie Swalla

Research areas

Research years

Marine Genomics allows insights into the mechanisms by which evolutionary novelty evolves in animal body plans. My lab is interested in the evolution of animal body plans and uses comparative genomic approaches to understand the evolution of specific cell types and structures. We study the evolution and development of the chordates, a unique group of animals that includes vertebrates. We are studying how chordates evolved from marine invertebrates using tunicates and hemichordates. We use phylogenies and the expression of developmental genes to infer ancestral traits. We are also studying the development and evolution of ctenophores, a group of very basal metazoans. in collaboration with Professor Leonid Moroz and Dr. Andrea Kohn at the University of Florida‚ Whitney Marine Labs.